Title page for ETD etd-04172009-191723

Type of Document

Dissertation

Author

Barna, Jennifer S.

Author's Email Address

jephill3@vt.edu

URN

etd-04172009-191723

Title

Elementary School Counselors’ Situational Motivation, Perception of Importance, and Level of Implementation of Personal/Social Development Standards as a Strategy for Supporting Student Academic Achievement

Degree

PhD

Department

Counselor Education and Supervision

Advisory Committee

Advisor Name	Title
Brott, Pamelia E.	Committee Chair
Belli, Gabriella M.	Committee Member
Bodenhorn, Nancy E.	Committee Member
Glenn, William J.	Committee Member

Keywords

Self-Determination Theory
Personal/Social Development
Motivation
School Counselors
Academic Achievement

Date of Defense

2009-04-03

Availability

unrestricted

Abstract

This study explored the relationships between school counselors' motivational orientation, perceptions of the importance, and levels of implementation of Academic and Personal/Social Development Standards as a strategy for supporting academic achievement. A
secure online survey was sent to 539 Virginia elementary school counselors; 212 completed the
questionnaire reflecting a response rate of 39%. Participants rated their perceptions of the
importance and their levels of implementation of 26 Virginia Academic and Personal/Social
Development Standards (Virginia Department of Education, 2004). The Situational Motivation
Scale (SIMS; Guay, Vallerand, & Blanchard, 2000) assessed participants’ type of motivation for
incorporating personal/social development interventions into their programs as a strategy for supporting academic achievement.
Participants’ ratings confirm both types of Standards are perceived as highly important
for supporting academic achievement and are implemented at relatively high levels. A
correlation matrix demonstrated three of the four motivation scores were not related to either
perceptions of importance or to levels of implementation of either type of Virginia Standard. Four regression models indicated that the motivation predictor variables accounted for no more than 6.3% of the variance in participants’ perceptions of the importance and levels of implementation of either type of Virginia Standard. Finally, the hypothesis that Intrinsic Motivation would be the most salient type of motivation for implementing Virginia’s
Personal/Social Development Standards as a strategy for supporting academic achievement was
not supported. However, high mean scores on the Identified Regulation subscale suggest
participants do possess internal motivation for incorporating personal/social development into
their programs.
Based on the results, several recommendations were offered. School counselors should
collaborate with school leaders, embrace accountability practices, and advocate for the necessity of maintaining a comprehensive program focus. Counselor educators can familiarize students with research pertaining to the contributions of different types of development on achievement and emphasize the importance of utilizing the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model (ASCA, 2005). Implications for future research include replicating this study with principals and secondary school counselors, evaluating how Standards are interpreted and applied between school counseling programs, and examining other constructs found in the motivation literature that may better explain school counselors’ desire to maintain a comprehensive program focus.

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